OD&L.TRAINER. Created PRISM Philosophy

Monthly Archives: August 2018

Leaders should not think they are the only ones worthy of creating and knowing corporate visions. All employees need to know their companies’ visions and how their work contributes to them. When visions are established, leaders need to build consensus. The aim must be for employees to come to work to pursue visions, not just to perform the functions of their jobs. The four challenges applying to Directional Leadership and action items related to the four challenges include:

Challenge One: Recruit support from the top 29 percent.

*Identify the top 29 percent.

*Bring the top 29 percent together as a group.

*Solicit input from the top 29 percent into the vision.

*Ask the top 29 percent to recruit the other 54 percent.

Challenge Two: Prepare the organization for change.

*Agree on unity within the leadership team. For success, all members of the team must be on the same page.

*Give the reason for the change.

*Tell employees how the change will affect them.

*Use data to tell the story — numbers and facts can be very powerful.

*Introduce the change as an improvement.

*Celebrate the past and the future.

Challenge Three: Let them know how they contribute.

*Assess how well expectations have been communicated.

*Let employees create the expectations through goal setting.

*Assess how well consequences have been communicated.

*Determine positive consequences that would drive behavior.

*Ensure the consequences motivate the behavior.

Challenge Four: Constantly communicate progress.

*Create a method to share information regularly.

*Let employees know where they stand.

*Host a quarterly vision review meeting.

MOTIVATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Employees voluntarily leave companies for many reasons, including for more money, to spend time raising a family, to move away, to go into business for themselves, or to find a better fit for themselves after a company changes direction. In fact, the vast majority of employees do not leave companies; they leave bosses. Leaders who build cultures of motivation can overcome employee disengagement and the loss of valued employees. These are the four challenges applying to Motivational Leadership and action items backing them up:

Challenge Five: Lead with positive motivation.

*Give employees something to run toward, not from.

*Ask employees what inspires them most.

*Focus on what employees are doing well and provide positive feedback.

*Focus on the best by finding ways to direct attention to the top 29 percent.

Challenge Six: Celebrate small successes.

*Create an impulsive reward system.

*Establish a dedicated time to celebrate every day.

*Establish a method to celebrate every success.

Challenge Seven: Encourage life balance for all employees.

*Take advantage of technology, such as allowing an employee to work from home.

*Change to a new mindset.

*Make a list of flexibilities that might possibly be extended to employees.

*Protect employees’ time off.

*Set the example of life balance.

Challenge Eight: Create a fair work environment.

*Compensate fairly.

*Establish equitable reward systems — the same achievements should receive the same rewards.

*Be consistent when enforcing consequences.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

With the wrong employees in place, achieving company growth and building for the future can be impossible tasks. In creating cultures of employee engagement, leaders must be sure they have the right team of employees in place. A strong organizational structure, with the right people in the right places, is essential to a culture of strong employee engagement. People will come and go, but organizations must be robust enough to continue pursuing their visions. These are the challenges applying to Organizational Leadership and action items for the challenges:

Challenge Nine: Identify and position the appropriate talent.

*Inventory the available talent. Determine whether the right people are in the right places.

*Determine who needs to go, but first give the culture of employee engagement a chance to work.

*Recruit appropriate talent.

*Hire for leadership needs.

*Hire for attitude.

*Be honest.

*Give challenging and meaningful work. Employees become disengaged when they think their potential and time are being wasted.

*Train employees.

Challenge Ten: Build a bridge between generations.

*Understand the generations. Learn what motivates each and why they think the way they do.

*Suspend judgment long enough to first learn about people.

*Do not treat everyone the same. Understand and cater to individuals’ needs.

Like this:

While most people become leaders through trial and error, the basic framework for leadership can be learned by looking at its five levels. Success at each level provides a foundation for advancement to the next.

1. Position. This is the entry level, where the only influence wielded by the leader comes with the position and job title within the organization. Reaching this level is based on appointment, not on ability or effort. Instead of team members, positional leaders have subordinates who will follow them only to the extent they are required to do so.

2. Permission. Reaching this level is based on relationships. A Level 2 leader has begun to develop influence with people by showing that they are valued and creating an environment of trust.

3. Production. Reaching this level is based on producing results for the organization. The influence and credibility of a Level 3 leader grows as goals are achieved and momentum is created.

4. People Development. Level 4 leaders use their resources to empower their people and create new leaders. Their relationships are deep, transformational, and often lifelong.

5. Pinnacle. Only the most talented leaders reach this level as it is based on their ability to develop Level 4 leaders and Level 5 organizations. Their skills and positive reputations are so strong that they create legacies and often are able to extend their influence beyond their industries.

Leaders advance by earning influence and credibility at each level. It is important for leaders to remember that:

*To attain higher levels, they must build on the relationships they have established and the productivity they have achieved at lower levels.

*Different people must be led different ways (i.e., based on their perceptions and stages of development).

*As they reach higher levels, they will find it increasingly easier to lead. This is because people respond to their growing influence.

*The higher they advance, the harder it will become to advance even further.

*While leadership is more secure at higher levels, it can be quickly and irreparably damaged. The importance of building and maintaining good relationships never diminishes.

*The higher their levels, the more rewarding and far-reaching their accomplishments are likely to be.

*To move up, they must intentionally learn and grow. This often requires taking risks.

*They may limit themselves and their people if they do not actively strive for advancement. Higher-level leadership is a function not only of capacity, but also of attitude and choice.

*Changing positions or organizations may mean starting again at a lower level; however, previous experience makes it easier to advance a second time.

*No one advances in leadership without accepting the challenge of helping, motivating, and developing others.

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Leading people through change is one of the most difficult challenges leaders face. People tend to be resistant to change because of the chaos generated from moving from the current state to the new state. There are two methods for introducing and executing change:

The hammer approach is a top-down management style, with changes dictated to employees from above. It is fast and efficient, and management always stays in control. A downside is that people who are “hammered” can become distrustful and demoralized. Leaders using the hammer approach need to practice constant communication, show empathy, and let people vent.

In the commitment approach, leaders involve employees in all aspects of the change, from planning and implementation to measuring and assessing progress. This is an effective way to build employee buy-in and is especially useful when an aspect of the change is altering employee values, attitudes, and behaviors. On the downside, it requires significant time, effort, and patience.

Managers and employees alike go through a four-step process in reacting to the chaos that accompanies change. The progression is universal, whether the change is negative or positive:

Denial: At first people are confused, anxious, and in shock about the change.

Emotion: People next develop emotions of anger, fear, frustration, and cynicism.

Transition: In the transition phase, people are skeptical, but their negativity is balanced by curiosity, acceptance, and hope.

Excitement: In the fourth phase, people feel relief, are excited about the change, and have a renewed sense of trust.

There are no shortcuts to leadership development. It takes hard work to develop the important skills needed to influence others. The process is never really complete. Leaders must constantly refine and improve their skills as they seek to “lead on purpose.”

An effective strategy, executed well, can enable you to deliver better results than your competitors because it can help you define a unique position in the marketplace.

We must ask the right questions at the right time to get the information we need in order to truly communicate effectively.

Active listening is vital to establishing healthy relationships. In active listening, you are 100 percent present with the other person, demonstrating your respect for them, for their views, and for their feelings.

Delivered well, redirecting feedback is a positive, empowering experience for both parties. The goal is to restore the individual to effective performance.

It can be hard to separate our thoughts from our feelings about a situation, especially a conflict situation… But never doubt it: a specific, identifiable thought was there before you reacted emotionally.

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An effective presenter is not only knowledgeable and prepared, he or she also remains aware of the movements and positions of audience members. Such cues will reveal important information, such as their engagement and energy levels. Here are some questions trainers can ask themselves to gauge whether their audiences are attentive and interested:

*Do they make eye contact?

*Do they ask content-specific questions?

*Do they participate in activities?

According to Kuczala, if the facilitator can effectively read the audience, he or she will be able to respond with the appropriate movement technique before participants grow wary or disengaged. Participants’ body language can convey valuable information to the presenter. Similarly, a presenter’s body language sends equally important messages to the audience. The following eight expressions of positive body language can enhance learners’ perceptions of a presenter:

1. Good posture will make the presenter feel more self-assured.

2. Friendly eye-contact helps the presenter connect with participants, and it keeps his or her head held high, which improves posture.

3. A smile will show that the presenter is enthusiastic about the presentation, which will make participants more open to the content.

4. Energetic movement will enliven the audience.

5. An engaged brain and body. If a presenter is not in a confident frame of mind, it will affect his or her body language.

6. Moving around the learning space can bridge the gap between a presenter and his or her audience. Movement will also keep participants focused.

7. Calm mannerisms will make a better impression on an audience, since anxious movements can distract participants and make them feel uneasy.

8. Walking purposefully through the learning space connects the presenter with participants. Erratic or repetitive movement can annoy or distract individuals.

Further, the presenter should always be conscious of his or her mind-body connection. What the facilitator does or does not do with his or her body can affect training sessions in meaningful ways. The following techniques can engage participants and make positive impressions:

*Move around the learning space to better connect with, and become more familiar with, the audience.

*Use inviting hand gestures to ensure that positive physical and verbal messages are sent to the audience.

*Remain aware of the audience in order to assess whether participants’ learning states have started to decline, and respond with an appropriate kinesthetic activity.

Conversely, these approaches can send negative messages to learners:

*Hands that are crossed in front of the body are a sign of discomfort and/or disinterest.

*Hands that are hidden in pockets signify a lack of interest and impede the presenter’s ability to gesture. Skillful hand gestures can help a presenter connect more closely with an audience.

*Hands that are hidden behind the back imply untrustworthiness and/or insecurity.

*Hands on the hips signal a power position, which may make audience members feel intimidated and cause them to withdraw.

*Arms in a crossed position reveal that a presenter is disinterested and/or uncomfortable in his or her environment.